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‘People wonder why Kaiser Wilhelm II decided not to go to Vienna’

A great murmur rose when the emperor, accompanied by members of the imperial household, appeared in the oratory

The Graf & Stift touring car in which Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria was assassinated on June 28th, 1914, in Sarajevo, on display at the museum of military history in Vienna. Photograph: Heinz-Peter Bader/Reuters

The funeral of Archduke Franz Ferdinand and the Duchess of Hohenberg took place at 4pm in the chapel of the Hofburg Palace.

The emperor attended, as well as the archdukes, archduchesses, the entire court and relatives of the deceased. The shared cabinet ministers of AustriaHungary, the Austrian ministers and the Hungarian ministers, the presidents of the Austrian and Hungarian parliaments and delegations from these parliaments also attended. So did the Papal Nuncio, all the ambassadors and ministers representing their sovereigns and heads of state, a large number of military delegations, many high ranking civil servants and officers, the mayors of Vienna, Budapest and Agram and delegations from these cities.

The two silver caskets with golden ornaments rested on a catafalque. A great murmur rose when the emperor, accompanied by members of the imperial household, appeared in the oratory.

The cardinal prince-archbishop Piffl blessed the mortal remains of the deceased. As soon as the religious service was over, the chapel was closed.

Another service in Belgrade, July 3rd A funeral service was held this morning in the Catholic church in memory of Archduke Franz Ferdinand and the Duchess of Hohenberg. In attendance were: the prince royal, the prime minister, the ministers and the chargé d’affaires of Austria-Hungary, the diplomatic corps, civil and military authorities of the Austrian colony. After the service, the prince royal and other important persons conveyed their condolences to the chargé d’affaires of Austria-Hungary.

Serb démarche in Vienna Vienna, July 3rd The Serb minister in Vienna has made a representation to Baron Macchio concerning anti-Serb demonstrations that have occurred in Vienna.

A semi-official notice was published by the Fremdenblatt and Tagblatt newspapers, asking the population to remain calm and declaring that “It is the right of the minister of Serbia to fly the Serbian flag.”

Why Wilhelm II did not go to Vienna Berlin, July 3rd

The situation of Austria is much discussed in political milieux in Berlin. In particular, people wonder why Kaiser Wilhelm II decided not to go to Vienna.

In general, people think the Kaiser wanted to conform to the wishes of Franz Joseph, who feared the added fatigue and emotion that the presence of the German monarch would have caused him.

There may be another reason for this abstention . . . Other princes . . . had asked if their presence in Vienna would be welcome and were asked not to make the journey.

Still more intriguing is the fact that Emperor Franz Joseph, who was consulted on the same subject, also preferred not to receive his ally at Ischl next week. Are there political reasons? Some believe so.

It is said there are differences between Austria and Germany regarding the attitude to be adopted concerning the Serbs and Balkan peoples in general. But this hypothesis is unlikely.